


His Vice

by constancehainesashes



Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, Louis Tomlinson - Fandom, One Direction, liam payne - Fandom, niall horan - Fandom, zayn malik - Fandom
Genre: Basically Niall is Nicole, F/F, F/M, Female Niall, Flashbacks, Liam is Lana, Love, M/M, Multi, Narry - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rich Harry, Secrets, Sex, Strippers, Zayn is Xena, strip club
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 14:36:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23479756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/constancehainesashes/pseuds/constancehainesashes
Summary: Harry Styles, a rich and famous real estate consultant, steps into a strip club one night, and finds the one thing he doesn’t have. But along with it come secrets and baggage no one was ready for.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Niall Horan, Harry Styles/Nicole Horan
Kudos: 18





	1. “Fraternising”

**Author's Note:**

> I reeeaaalllyyyy shouldn’t be starting another story but I just couldn’t help myself. So here it is!  
> Basically Nicole is fem!Niall. Apart from that I’ll be adding many more tags as more characters come in.

“I thought you said you don’t break the rules,” Harry smirked as slid a fingertip up Nicole’s calf, to the back of her knee, her thigh, to the soft curve of her luscious bum.

Nicole wiggled away from his touch, giggling softly. “That tickles,” she laughed, her blue eyes twinkling. “And about the rules? Yeah I wouldn’t have broken them for anyone else.”

“So I’m the only client you’ve ever been in bed with?” Harry smirked, hovering above the blonde.

“True,” Nicole responded sassily, looking up into his green eyes and his hair falling in them. She cleared her throat when she realised her thoughts were going elsewhere. “I have to go, though. I need to sleep.”

Harry gave her a short but hot kiss on her plump pink lips before getting off of her and sitting up. “Well then, I won’t keep you. But you’re certainly not taking the bus home at,” he craned his neck to give his wristwatch a glance, which was on the side table beside his bed, “four in the morning.”

“That’s because of you, mister hotshot,” Nicole shot back, getting to her feet and sliding her thong back up her legs, then grabbing her bra. “If not for you, I’d be home by now. I’d actually be asleep.”

“You’re the one who agreed to come to bed with me,” Harry replied, an easy smirk staying on his face as he rose to his feet and moved ahead to clip her bra behind her back. “There you go. Get dressed, I’ll drop you off.”

Nicole felt her breath hitch at the gesture. Sure, she was falling all over the place at something so simple but she had no problem screaming unto the Gods while he was going down on her. Multiple times. It was just like her to start falling too soon, too fast for someone unattainable. “No, no way are you driving me.”

“Scared I’ll fuck you in the car again?” Harry murmured from behind, lips at her ear. “Don’t worry, I won’t. I don’t want you too sore. After all, even if I have Saturdays off, I know you don’t. I would feel terrible if I sent you back to your pole limping and unable to perform.”

Nicole turned to face him, staring at his lovely mouth before meeting his eyes. “I suppose you’re right. I do need to heal after all that.”

“To be honest I’d say you need food. You came so many times I’m surprised you’re still standing. Especially after romancing that pole all night long and then romancing, well, my pole,” Harry chuckled at his own joke.

Nicole shook her head at his humour, but her smile couldn’t quite hide. “I have a very high stamina. And I eat so much that I could eat once in a day and still be totally fine.”

“Right, another thing I now know about you. Let me add that to the mental list,” he quipped, watching her pull on her ripped and faded blue jeans and crop top. “You look so good even in your regular clothes.”

“Oh?” Nicole smirked up at him, stealing a quick kiss from his sexy mouth, for which she had to stand up on her tiptoes. God, she sure did love her men tall. “Thank you. I’ve got to go now.”

Harry stopped her by wrapping a large hand around her arm gently. “I can’t let you just go out there alone at this hour. Hell, I’m a man and I don’t go out alone at this hour.”

“Why, scared you’ll get beat up and robbed?”

Harry laughed. “You sure have got a mouth on you.”

“Too bad you didn’t get to feel it.”

“Oh believe me, I will soon. It’s not like you can resist me anyway.”

*****

Despite Harry’s insistence, Nicole refused a ride from him and left his place alone at 4.15 am on a Saturday morning. She didn’t want Harry knowing anything about her that she wasn’t ready to reveal, at least not yet. She knew she was foolish to just fall into his bed like that, but by god if he wasn’t her wet dream manifested into reality. Ever since she’d first seen him she could barely look away from him. Sure, he was a bit goofy, and not the manliest man, but who cared about that at this point? He had a really deep shade of brown in his hair that reminded Nicole of a feeling of warmth. His eyes could pierce into her soul. Nicole truly worried that he could just see right through her and her secrets with them.

She hadn’t thought she’d be able to get close to the man like she had considering he was one of the most desired men in the city. He was rich, famous and known for all the right things. His rise to fame had been due to connections with all the top companies; they were all his clients when it came to real estate advice. And he seemed to have a knack for it.

One thing Nicole always wondered about: why did he come into the club that night and what was about him that made him irresistible? She had never broken her rule regarding “fraternising” with clients. But he seemed to be knocking her walls down so fast. Why was he nothing like everything she’d expected a rich and famous guy to be?

She shook her head clear of those thoughts as she reached home, taking off her shoes and falling into bed. She was actually exhausted now that she thought about it. And she did have a long night of work again. The club was always busy on Saturdays.


	2. The Club

Nicole fell asleep in her jeans and crop top because she was just that tired; and lazy. She awoke only at noon, thankful for her blackout curtains and the location of her place in a calm and quiet neighbourhood that only came with a certain kind of money and status. She stretched and got up, kicking off her jeans and going to the bathroom to start her day. After brushing her teeth she threw her hair up in a bun which looked less like a bun and more like a bird’s nest, but she ignored it and made her way to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and grabbed the milk carton in only her crop top and thong. She didn’t care; it wasn’t like anyone was going to see her like this.

Well, anyone but her best friend in the whole world.

“Yoo-hoo!”

She heard the loud boom before she saw anything, groaning to herself with her head still in the fridge. She turned around, smacking her hard.

“Ow! That hurt!” Lana pouted, rubbing her arm.

“You deserved it,” Nicole scoffed, pouring her milk into a glass and taking a sip. She wasn’t a total slob.

“Oh psh, you wouldn’t have given me the combination if you didn’t want me here,” Lana scoffed. “And girl, what are you wearing?!”

Nicole shrugged. “Fell asleep like this after work.”

“Oh please. I know you left work with the green eyed bloke you’ve been thirsting after since the past two weeks. So did you finally nail him or what?”

Nicole was about to smack her arm once again but Lana dodged it expertly. “None of your business.”

“You’re my best friend, and I’m your keeper of secrets,” Lana replied tartly. “You have to tell me.”

Nicole rolled her eyes silently, gulping down her milk. The cold drink was soothing to her. “Lana, I haven’t eaten since dinner last night, which was at like six. Can I please eat something in peace?”

“No. You can eat something while you tell me everything.” Lana produced a large bag of takeaway. “Breakfast. Eat.”

Nicole opened the packages quickly, digging into a breakfast burrito.

“You know, I almost forgot how much you eat,” Lana remarked with a chuckle.

Nicole glared at her while swallowing her mouthful of burrito. “Do you want to know or not?”

Lana held up her hands in surrender. “Sorry. I love you. Continue.”

“I love you too,” Nicole muttered, “and that’s the only reason I’m telling you this.”

Lana grinned and nodded her head rapidly. “Go on.”

“I broke my rule, I slept with him,” Nicole sighed.

“Babe it’s a stupid rule anyway, who cares?”

Nicole stared at her for a whole minute, in complete silence, waiting for her to get the point.

“Oh my god, girl, do not tell me you’re falling for that dude.”

*****

Nicole was dressed in her casuals once again, this time a pair of black jeans and a different crop top as she took the bus to the club. She walked in through the back, nodded to everyone she saw, people who worked there with her, before finding her usual place. It wasn’t much, just a makeup desk with a few drawers with a clothes rack to the side. It was starting to get noisy as the night began, and soon the club would be packed and the performances would start. Nicole wasn’t going to be on for awhile, so she had time.

She looked through her options before choosing a raunchy looking green ensemble, the colour reminding her of a certain someone’s eyes. She shook her head at herself and grabbed it, appraising every article of clothing. There was a green bra studded with fake green jewels, a green thong, then cowboy boots and overalls on top. The look might’ve been a bit much at first sight but it would work perfectly on the stage.

Nicole started on her hair, curling it to hang in perfect bouncy loops around her face, then did her makeup, using green eyeliner and eyeshadow with a nude lipstick. She was all done up by the time the introductory act - the new girl, Ina - came backstage after her performance.

Nicole went to the changing room and got dressed in the green kit, listening to the music and the crowd going crazy at the performance currently going on. She stepped out and checked herself in the mirror, then perfumed herself carefully before taking her position.

She heard her introduction ring out over the speakers and the loudest cheers for the club’s most known show stopper, bending over and sticking her ass in the air as the curtains opened and the spotlight fell on her.


	3. 'Elite'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis. Xena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we get a snippet of Louis, and Xena gets mentioned.  
> Xena = female Zayn

Harry was at home on a Saturday evening, drinking wine while he went through his personal email, for no apparent reason. It was full of trash. He sighed to himself and checked his phone again. Nothing there either. At least, nothing that interested him.

He really could not stop thinking about Nicole ever since last night. Sure, she’d been on his mind ever since the first night, but yesterday had been the day when she finally gave in to his persistent wooing and it had been better than either of them had expected.

It had been a while since Harry had been with a woman he actually liked as more than a bed warmer for a few times, never to be seen again. Although he was one of the rare men to actually be friends with most of his previous sexual escapades, and there had been many, some were better left in the past.

Nicole was like no one he’d ever met before. He’d been enraptured since the moment he laid eyes on her, but she was so much more behind the face and the hair and the body. Peeling back all of her masks and getting to know her was quickly becoming his obsession. He knew she was going to be working tonight, with all the eyes on her. She played a lot of hard-to-get, but Harry liked that. And she’d said that she had never quite given in to anyone except him, which he took pride in. He decided he’d like to make her give in to him again. He would like it very much, and that meant making the first move one more time.

Harry got to his feet and went to his wardrobe, pulling on another crisp button down and chinos, trying to go for the semi-formal look. It was a Saturday after all. He was young, not an old sleazy businessman who didn’t know what casuals were. He did know plenty of them through his work, and they made him shudder if that was what he was going to end up as in twenty or so years.

He grabbed his keys and drove to ‘Elite’. Where he’d first met her.

*****

Harry groaned to himself and threw the papers on his desk in agitation, leaning back in his chair aggressively. This deal was not going the way he wanted. There were just too many loopholes, too many unknowns and he was frustrated. He didn’t want to lose on such a big chance to earn a large commission on sale of property, but he was too smart to go into something this risky. He didn’t want to risk it with the authorities, but he couldn’t stop himself from thinking of the returns if it went through and the client actually paid up.

What a mess.

He straightened up when the phone went off, picking it up and holding it to his ear. “Yes, Joy?” he murmured to his assistant.

“Mr. Styles, you have Mr. Tomlinson on line two.”

Harry almost groaned into the receiver. “Fine, thanks Joy.” He took a moment to breathe before pressing down on the 2 flicking on his telephone.

“You twit,” was the first thing he heard. “You were supposed to call me two days ago!”

“Is that any way to talk to our best friend? Especially on the work line, I must say,” he replied snappily.

“Since when do I care about the rules?” Louis scoffed. “Now talk.”

“About what?”

“You didn’t call me on Wednesday. Don’t tell me you ran into that Xena bitch again. I swear, Haz, I’ll fucking kill her for you if she-“

“No, no, Lou,” Harry interrupted immediately, “no killing anybody.”

“What, I’m a lawyer, you know I’ll get away with it,” Louis muttered.

“Louis Tomlinson, you listen to me, you idiot. No murderous thoughts.”

“Shit, that means you did see her again. God, Haz, you’ve got to get your head out of your ass and do something about it. That bitch thinks she owns you. You’ve got to forget about her.”

“I’ve got bigger problems than a fangirl stalker, Louis,” Harry muttered, telling him about the latest deal he was having doubts about. “I need to run a background check.”

“Say no more, I’ll have it on your desk on Monday morning,” Louis replied immediately.

“Thanks Lou, I’m assuming that means I won’t be seeing your workaholic ass all weekend.”

“Psh, you know I have an irresistible ass,” he sassed. “But, I think you need something else, you need a distraction. From the one who shall not be named again, as I can’t think about her sans murderous thoughts.”

“Fine, what’d you have in mind?” Harry sighed, giving in.

“I’ll text you. Bye!”

Harry rolled his eyes to himself as the line beeped and went dead, putting the receiver back in place and gathering his things. It was Friday, and Joy was probably itching to leave early. He ended up sending her home and driving home, ordering food on the way.

An hour later, Harry had a message on his phone from Louis, with just an address.

‘Elite’.


	4. Cheeky Nando’s

Harry reached ‘Elite’ only to see the lights go off and the crowd go wild. He supposed he’d just missed Nicole’s performance as show stopper. He’d already seen it twice though, and it was certainly very entertaining. He moved through the crowds, inching towards the bar. The bartender would be able to tell him when and where he could see Nicole.

Lana looked up when she had finished pouring the last person’s cocktail, giving the curly haired man a smirk. She knew exactly what he wanted. “Why don’t you wait for a minute?” She yelled over the music. She reached for the phone and rang the back room, saying something into the receiver that he couldn’t hear. She hung up and leaned over the counter. “You’ll have to wait a bit, go to the back entrance!”

Harry thanked her and left her a tip despite not actually drinking anything, moving through the throngs of people that were now dancing to the music. Saturdays saw the youngsters reach the club, whereas weekdays usually meant the sleazy businessmen. The strip club was transformed into a dance floor for the drunk and enthusiastic youth, with a good number of women among the men.

He finally made it out and headed into the alley, towards the small door he knew was the other way in. He knocked on it but he could hear girls speaking loudly inside, so he was pretty sure nobody actually heard him. So, he waited, making sure not to lean against the grimy wall and ruin his shirt.

The door opened after a few minutes and a young girl with pink hair stepped out in a skimpy, well, lingerie set, lighting a cigarette and ignoring him completely. As the door swung shut behind her, Harry caught a glimpse of the woman of the hour laughing about something with another stripper at the club while looking in the mirror and starting to remove her makeup.

Nicole made sure her face was clean before tugging off her showy skimpy panties and wearing her clothes, putting her hair up in a bun. She waved goodbye to her coworkers, stepping out. “Harry?” She called out when she didn’t see him, her eyes still adjusting to the dark of the alleyway.

He stepped out from the shadow looking like a Greek God. “Hey there,” he said, green eyes twinkling. Nicole couldn’t help but notice the open buttons on his shirt showing most of his chest and that necklace he always wore. He had slightly pronounced pecs, or, well, moobs, and he certainly did not have abs but he was still fit. He made her mouth water. “Done for tonight?”

Nicole nodded and stepped closer to him without thinking about it. “No VIP rooms on the weekends for me.” She could smell his cologne. He always wore the same one. It was intoxicating. “You smell good.”

Harry winked, ready to pounce. “What do you say we get out of here? Go somewhere?”

Nicole tried shooting him down. “I’m hardly dressed appropriately for an outing,” she pointed out.

Harry glanced at her outfit. She looked so good, just as good as she had in the green bra and panties he’d gotten an eyeful of earlier. “It’s similar to last night.”

“Yes but you’re not getting me in your bed tonight.”

Harry was totally expecting the sass. “That’s what you said for two weeks. But I won in the end, so what makes you think you’ve even got a chance this time?”

She knew he was right. She’d wanted more of him ever since she’d got the first taste. “Quite sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Nicole mumbled, looking anywhere but his eyes, trying not to give away her desire for him.

“I always get what I want. But, let’s get some food first, I left you hungry last night. I feel bad,” he chuckled lightly.

She gave in. “Okay fine. Where?”

“Don’t worry I won’t be breaking your bank or anything. I’m assuming you won’t let me pay for you?” he checked as he led them onto the main street.

Nicole gave a firm nod. She was a very principled lady for someone who took off her clothes and shook her ass in men’s (and women’s) faces six nights a week.

“Nando’s, then? We could make it cheeky later.”

She rolled her eyes at his silly joke even though it did make her smile. It was her favourite fast food chain, she really couldn’t say no. But maybe she could still play a little hard-to-get, even though they both knew what they’d be doing later. She shrugged but nodded. “Nando’s it is.”


	5. Maybe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry likes a woman that can eat a lot.

The Nando’s was almost empty as Harry and Nicole walked in. Harry held the door open like a gentleman and Nicole walked in with a blush on her cheeks. Nobody really did gentlemanly things for her, so it was odd, but a good odd. Harry grinned. “So, what’ll you have?”

“Uh. I eat a lot,” Nicole said, going up to the counter to place her own order. She always ate the same things: quarter chicken in a pita with hot sauce, quarter chicken in a burger with extra hot sauce, mixed olives, half a plate of wings and a Fanta.

Harry watched on with a fond grin. “I love a woman that can eat.” He ordered his mild chicken in a burger and Coke, taking out his wallet to pay, but Nicole has already slid her credit card across the kiosk. “You are a cheeky one. I really didn’t think people of your profession used credit cards. Not to assume-“

Nicole shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m in a weird line of work, I get it. You’re actually really sweet about it.” She led them to a high table by the wall with two stools, sitting on one. She had to struggle a little to get on but she managed.

Harry laughed softly. “Shortie.”

Nicole poked his arm. “You’re the one who’s freakishly tall.”

He winked. “You like it. You can’t get enough of me.”

“I really can’t,” Nicole sighed, pretending to be dramatic.

“I want to know more about you.”

“Like what?”

“Whatever you feel like sharing.” Harry could feel her guard up whenever he talked to her.

“Uh,” Nicole scrambled for a minute, “I’m Irish. That’s why I wear so much green on stage. I have a family who has no idea I strip. I eat a lot, like a lot. I’m a pole dancer. Like professionally.”

“That sounds hot,” he teased as their food was done. In a jiffy, Nicole started eating her burger, not caring of the mess she was making on her hands. Harry loved it. Gosh she was so sexy.

“It’s really hard,” Nicole giggled around her food. “Takes a really strong body core. I’d say you’re more of a runner? You’ve got long limbs, but you’re lean.”

He grinned. “Did track in school but that’s about it. Good guess.” He watched as Nicole demolished the wings in record time. “Now let me guess something, you lived with brothers.”

“One, and my dad,” Nicole agreed. “I know, I eat like a brute. This isn’t a date though, so why should I be concerned?”

Harry raised an eyebrow. He’d never met anyone so...carefree. She didn’t care about what anyone thought of her, which was so refreshing after all the people he met through work all day every day. All they cared about was their image, their status, their reputation. Nicole was so different, like a breath of fresh air.

“Harry, hello?”

His green eyes snapped up to look at her.

“Hi there. You zoned out,” she laughed, the sound ringing through the empty eatery. “You looked adorable while doing it though, I must say.”

He winked, finishing his food.

“Want some?” Nicole offered, pointing to the olives.

Harry made a face. “Ugh no. I really don’t like olives.”

“I’m going to pretend not to be offended,” Nicole said, shrugging and finishing them, polishing off all the food and sipping her large Fanta.

“I sure hope you ate enough, I’m not letting you come up even for air once we’re in bed,” Harry smirked.

“Oh,” Nicole rebutted, “I’d worry about you more than myself, really. You should’ve eaten more.”

“I’m good,” he shrugged. “Maybe this time you’ll actually give me your phone number once I’m done fucking your brains out.”

“Maybe I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My writing style is different for each story. For this story I thought I’d make super short chapters, but I’ll probably do edits at a later point in time.


	6. Call Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get deep.

Nicole lost track of time after that. They left the restaurant and Harry had his car parked not far away from ‘Elite’ so it was a quick walk. She spent the whole car ride teasing him about all the things they didn’t do the previous night, making him painfully hard in his jeans. He screeched to a stop in his driveway and got out of the car as fast as he could, so Nicole made a show of being as slow as she could, which only fuelled Harry to growl at her and throw her frame over his shoulder. Nicole wasn’t petite by any means, and she wasn’t short either. She had good tone on her muscles thanks to her pole dancing skills and her body was strong. Still, Harry could effortlessly carry her, his hands holding onto her legs as he threw open the front door and went straight upstairs.

Harry didn’t care about being rough this time, he knew Nicole could handle it. He threw her on the bed and didn’t bother closing the bedroom door. No one was going to walk in on them anyway, and he was too desperate to have her right then. In his haste to remove Nicole’s clothing, he heard a rip, looking down at the tattered shirt in his hand. “Oops, I guess?” he laughed.

Nicole glared at him for a few seconds, pulling him in closer with a leg around his waist, looking up at him. She loved the way he laughed at himself even in times like these. It was a rare find. She moved her hips to grind against his bulge shamelessly. “Hurry up.”

It didn’t take long after that. As much as Harry had wanted to do a variety of things to her, he couldn’t quite keep himself restrained enough and went straight for the main attraction. He always had condoms in his nightstand, which was another thing he could be thankful for tonight.

Nicole bounced and moaned with his thrusts, her body winding and twisting in pleasure. His skills in bed were more than just experience and God given endowment. She couldn’t put a finger on it, but maybe it had something to do with the way he made her feel, the way he was with her. He didn’t see her as a stripper but as a person. He didn’t just assume she went around having sex with random men, and he didn’t disrespect her or her job, but he definitely did make her weak in the knees with his everything. The way he saw deep into her soul when they were having sex, his green eyes boring into hers, his hair flopping about with the motion and falling across his forehead, his arms, flexing and gripping the sheets around her as he moved, the sweat forming on his neck, the necklace he always wore dangling and rocking back and forth, it was all a part of the sex. It was all a part of her pleasure.

Oh God. She was falling for him.

*****  
“You scratched me up pretty bad,” Harry mused, touching the scratch marks on the back of his shoulder that he couldn’t see, but could definitely feel. 

Nicole sat up, the sheets falling from her body to reveal her naked glory once again to its admirer, who smirked. She shuffled to the other side of the bed to get a look at his back. “Sorry, I guess? I didn’t even realise I was doing that.”

“Did I say I minded?” he said, turning around to face her and trapping her between his naked legs. “It was actually really fucking hot, got me off so good. Though some of that credit does go to your deliciously juicy and tight cunt.”

“What a crass mouth on you, Mr Styles,” Nicole giggled, sliding her hands up his bare thighs, touching the slight patches of curled hair there.

“You know you like it.” Harry was confident she did. “You know you basically like everything about me, or you wouldn’t be here, touching me like this, giggling with me.”

“That’s true,” she murmured, looking up into his green orbs. His hair was softly falling across his eyes as he leaned down to peck her lips, gentle and short. “But I don’t mind. What is the point of running away from you, resisting you? I tried and failed so hard.”

Harry was slightly taken aback by the sudden seriousness of the conversation, but he was glad she’d actually shown him some vulnerability. He’d opened up to her in hopes that he’d receive the same, and although it took some time, he was glad it was happening. “I guess I’m really too good to let go of. You should keep me around.” He let his hand reach up and cup the side of her face and neck, just feeling her warmth and smoothness.

Nicole wasn’t scared of him anymore, not scared of herself anymore. She didn’t know why, but he was easy to trust. At least when it came to her feelings, she would be honest. “Are we going too fast?” she whispered, leaning into his touch slightly. It felt nice. His big hands were so soothing.

Harry grinned. “Woman, I don’t even have your phone number yet. I’d say we’re going too slow.”

Nicole rolled her eyes fondly. “Fine, fine, I’ll give you my number if you stop bugging me about it so much.”

“I asked you like three times,” he pouted. “It’s not my fault you’re so stubborn and keep playing hard-to-get with me.”

Nicole giggled freely, reaching to peck his adorable pout. She couldn’t keep herself away from him anymore, and it was futile to try. She smiled when he grinned at her. They stayed like that for a while, just touching, butt naked, laughing about silly things, in their perfect little cocoon.

“Is it really 5 am?” Nicole shrieked when she saw the clock on the wall.

Harry laughed. “Yeah, but I thought we could get some breakfast before you go.” He wanted to drop her off, of course, but they’d made good progress through the night and he didn’t want to push her.

“I have to go,” she said quickly, getting up and throwing on her clothes, realising her shirt was torn. Harry chuckled and held up his shirt, which she accepted and wore, tying it in a knot over her jeans to make it fit and not hang off of her. “I’m supposed to meet Lana for breakfast.”

“The bartender?” Harry asked, pulling on his briefs and a pair of sweat pants lazily. “I should’ve known you two were friends. She’s just as feisty as you.”

“You try being a female bartender in a strip club,” Nicole shrugged, grabbing a pen and sitting in his lap, writing her number on his hand. “There you go.” She got up, grabbed her bag, blew him a kiss and winked, leaving the room.

Harry took a minute to get up and look out the balcony to see her leaving from the gate. She turned, looked up and winked.

“You’d better call me, Styles!”

And then she was gone.


	7. H. x

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole eats breakfast with Lana.

Nicole practically ran to the bus stop. Something about Harry made her adrenaline spike and she couldn’t be still. She was buzzing with energy. By the time her bus showed up, she’d already paced the length of the bus stop about twenty times. She climbed on and swiped her bus pass, sitting down in the front. She checked her phone. It was still only six, but she still had to reach home, shower and get dressed before Lana even showed. It wasn’t like Lana to sleep if they were going to be up early the next day, like they usually did on Sundays. There was a breakfast place they were both completely obsessed with and they had the most amazing Irish breakfast on Sunday mornings. Nicole didn’t have anything against a good old English, but the Irish was where it was at. White pudding was her top favourite.

She stepped off the bus at her stop, smelling the shirt she was wearing. It smelled like Harry, and it was so comfortable. It made her feel warm, not only on the outside, but also on the inside. She didn’t remember ever wearing a man’s t-shirt before. Were men’s clothes always so comfortable or was it just because it was Harry’s?

She walked down the street and unlocked her front door with her code: her nephew’s birthday in reverse (she was paranoid about security) and made her way to her room. She plugged in her phone for charging. It was an old iPhone and battery life was starting to get dismal. She really should have bought a new one by now but she liked her old phone. It felt familiar.

She took off the shirt and her jeans, walking into the bathroom and brushing her teeth. Technically she hadn’t slept, but it was morning and she found it gross to eat anything without brushing her teeth in the mornings. She got into the shower next, running her hands through her bleached blonde hair to get it wet. She’d been dyeing her hair since she left home, and she loved the blonde. It made her blue eyes pop.

She hummed to herself, wishing she’d put on some music while she washed her hair. Bleached hair was difficult to take care of. It required a whole array of products, specific colour protecting shampoo and conditioner, and a hair lotion. Also, hats. Hats were very important in direct sunlight or her hair would lose its colour. And it was a pain to keep the locks soft. But she would do it all anyway.

By the time she was done with her hair and body, it was past seven and she was absolutely ravenous. She could barely take the hunger pangs now. Well, she had eaten a lot at Nando’s but that was hours ago. When was Nando’s going to give her a black card? She deserved it. She ate there every week.

She dried off and put her hair up in a separate towel. She never used a hair dryer. They messed up her hair. She pulled on her underwear and a cute little dress. She never got to dress cute because of work and she had so many adorable outfits, so she just wore them out with Lana. She did her face with minimal makeup and put her hair down. It was damp but looked fine so she didn’t bother brushing it, just arranging it with her hands and pulling on her ballet flats to match the dress. Harry’s t shirt was still on the bed, so she picked up her phone to find a text from the man himself.

‘Have a great breakfast x’ was all it said. She immediately knew it was him. She saved his contact as ‘H. x’ and called Lana. “I’m hungry enough to eat a horse, where are you?” she groaned into the phone.

“I’m literally just leaving home,” Lana replied tartly. “It’s not my fault that you stay up all night fucking that guy and then I have to bring you food every morning.”

Nicole rolled her eyes even though Lana couldn’t see her. “Shut up. You fuck more men than I do. And women. So, don’t even go there. I’ll meet you at Lilly’s directly. I’m too hungry to wait for you to get here.”  
Lana huffed. “Fine, fine, I’ll order for you. You could just buy a car and get there faster than me, but nooooo.”

“You know I can’t drive. See you there.” Nicole didn’t bother waiting for a reply and just grabbed her bag and headed out, walking down the street. Even though she lived closer to Lilly’s than Lana did, she would take longer to get there because she refused to drive. She liked walking, and she never had a problem with taking the bus. She plugged in her earphones and blared indie music the whole way there. She was sick of listening to the sultry sex songs always playing in the club, though the club couldn’t really be blamed for that. It was a strip club, after all.

She arrived at Lilly’s and immediately spotted Lana sitting on one of the tables they had set up outside since the weather was great today. She went to her and sat down, putting her bag down. “Please tell me you fucking ordered.”

Lana laughed. “Hello and good morning to you, too. I did order you your Irish breakfast, it’s coming.”

Nicole only groaned. “I’m literally starving.”

“When aren’t you? Anyway, what did you get up to? I’m assuming Styles found you because I didn’t see either of you after that.”

“Yeah, he found me. He took me to Nando’s, believe it or not. Ugh thinking about food is not helping my patience here.”

“If he has a black card you need to marry him,” Lana quipped.

“He doesn’t, and I paid for him.”

“Well, you do have a lot of money.”

“Sh, he doesn’t know that,” Nicole hushed. “I don’t want anyone finding out about it.”

“Oh come on, it’s not like you stole the money or something,” Lana said. “I don’t even know why you live this double life.”

“It’s a lot more complicated than that. I don’t want anyone knowing that I’m rich. I like my job, and I thought you were fine with that. I don’t even know why I told you.”

“Ouch, hunger is making you snappy,” Lana laughed as the food arrived. She watched for a second as Nicole dug in, not caring if she was making a complete mess. “Nic? You eat like a pig.”

Nicole glared at her, swallowing. “Shut up and eat your food. And you’re not breathing a word of this to anyone.”

“You’re going to have to tell people someday,” Lana pressed. “It’s not like you can hide forever. I know you like stripping, and you are literally the only person I’ve ever heard of who strips by choice when they don’t absolutely need the job.”

“Lana, not this again,” Nicole whined. “I like it ‘cause it makes me feel confident. I already told you this.”

“Don’t worry, I have to protect your secret. You are my boss, after all.”


	8. The Bigwig

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Harry and Louis met.

Harry could never forget the first time he met Louis. He was starting out in the real estate world, fresh out of college with a degree he had no use for in his newly chosen field. He’d found a great mentor who took him under his wing and helped him get ready for the job. Within six months, he was leading the pitches and house showings while his mentor, a Mister Tripp Woodson, a burly man always dressed in a blue or black suit pushing his late fifties, only followed around and watched. A year later, Harry had his own separate job at the firm, as a real estate consultant. But that wasn’t what made him the man he was now.

London had vibrant nightlife and everyone knew it. Harry was an avid club goer, always hanging out with somebody or the other he knew and meeting lots of new people every time he stepped out. He found it easy to interact with people, and he could easily blend into the conversation if that was what it needed. He started out meeting youngsters lost in the world, finding their place, seeing a lot of who he was two years ago in them. The next thing he knew he was meeting their parents, talking about the kind of house they wanted to buy, then he worked his way backward to people buying their first house, newly married, or with a child on the way. He started pursuing sellers, convincing them to sell to a particular buyer from whom he could get a better commission on the way.

What made him a bigwig came next. One day, he was in his cubicle, well it wasn’t really that small but it wasn’t a separate office, either, when in walked a lawyer. Harry could immediately tell that he was a lawyer, but he looked fairly young. Maybe an associate? He was dressed in a crisp suit and looking confident, a slight smirk on his face. Harry was staring at him, when suddenly the man looked back at him, his eyes piercing blue. Harry gave a big smile instead of looking away, and suddenly he was walking towards him. Harry sat up straight.

“Good morning,” Louis said, his accent prominent. “I’m looking for Tripp.”

“Uh, right at the end of the corridor,” Harry answered, talking slowly as he always did. This guy was shorter than he’d earlier thought.

“Mm, thank you,” Louis winked at him before heading down the corridor, fully aware of the curly haired man’s eyes on his ass. He was very proud of his God given gift.

Harry turned back to his computer when he could no longer see the slick lawyer, wondering who he was. Harry was not gay but he wasn’t straight either. He didn’t believe in labels and he’s always been that way since he was sixteen and first in college for his A levels. It wasn’t to say that he was sexually attracted to Mister Associate Lawyer but he couldn’t stop looking at him. Was that weird?

He had finally distracted himself from the lawyer and was emailing a prospective buyer when Louis came back out and stood in front of his desk again. He looked up to find intense blue eyes staring at him, hand extended. “I’m Louis Tomlinson.”

Harry shook his hand. Okay, his hand wasn’t as tiny as his general height, Harry thought to himself. “Pleasure to meet you, Louis Tomlinson. I’m Harry Styles. How do you know Tripp?”

Louis retracted his hand and shoved it in his pocket. “I was looking into some of his corporate clients. I’m just an associate so all I follow are measly paper trails.”

“Rough,” Harry commented. “So, say, Louis, can I call you Louis?”

He had such a charming grin on his face that Louis decided not to sass him. “Sure,” he shrugged.

“Can I ask you something about what you do for Tripp?”

Louis grumbled. “I barely do anything for Tripp. But we can’t officially talk about it, confidentiality.”

“Let’s meet for drinks and talk?” Harry grinned.

Wow, this guy is forward, Louis mused. “That’s fine, here’s my card.” He fished out a card from his suit’s inner pocket. He noticed the array of rings on Harry’s hand when he took his card, and the small cross tattoo. “Let me know.” And with that, he was gone.

*****  
They met for drinks the next night and talked about everything but work until Harry was tipsy and Louis was flat out drunk, his vision unfocused.

“I really want to do something more at work, I’m getting bogged down under all these aspiring first-time homeowners,” Harry sighed, nursing a glass of scotch.

“You’ll get way better commissions in corporate real estate,” Louis slurred, almost laying down on the sofa.

“Which is why I’m here right now. I know you have contacts.” Harry was persistent.

Louis laughed. “Yeah, right. I’m an associate who gets fucked in the arse every day.”

“Well, you have a very nice arse,” Harry winked.

“Don’t flirt with me, I’m too drunk to remember whether you’re a lad or a lass.”

Harry chortled. “Mate, that never stopped me.”

“I’m straight,” Louis said groggily, stretching a little and looking at the time. “It’s late, my girlfriend is going to ride my ass if I’m not home in the next ten minutes.”

“Right, let’s get a taxi. You’re in no condition to drive.”

“That’s why I didn’t bring my car,” Louis sassed right back. “But yeah I’ll try to find some contacts.”

“Preferably sellers,” Harry added, helping him up to his feet. “Come on.”

It took a few days for Louis to even start looking into it but he sent Harry an email a week later with a few contacts of open commercial plots outside the city that were about to go on sale. Louis was working on a few legal implications for a buyer wanting to open a car showroom. Harry spent his free time chasing down leads, he even visited the plots to get a good look at the surroundings. He arranged a meeting with the selling company and focused on making an excellent impression, to make up for the fact that this was his first commercial project.

He was getting really busy with work and trying to get buyers for the land. Many were interested, but it finally ended up with a global conglomerate who wanted to build their office there, which Harry got a medium sized commission from, but it opened many more doors for him. He got to speak directly to the bigwigs and no longer needed to speak to secretaries and assistants. The turnover he provided the company brought him a promotion and his own cabin when Tripp retired and moved out. He started gaining a lot of attention in the business world and the women seemed to fall into his lap. Not that he’d had any problems with that, but he only ever made one mistake. A mistake called Xena.


	9. What a grandpa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Lana chat while Harry goes to work.

After a fairly rowdy Sunday night performance, Nicole sat behind the bar while Lana made drinks at lightning speed. The young crowd had no qualms about partying before the dreaded Monday morning, especially since the club was more than just stripping. They had their own dance floor for clubbers and VIP rooms for the people who came strictly for the stripping part of it. Nicole had been keeping her eye on the numbers, and she was pleased to know that the amount of revenue they were making was pretty much split down the middle between their two segments. They had lines around the block on the weekends, mainly due to the restrictions on the number of people allowed inside, and college kids had a habit of coming in large groups and getting shitfaced drunk for hours, until Lana called them Ubers. She had two other bartenders to help her, both large burly guys, but Lana ran this ship, and she ran it very well. She wasn’t tiny by any means. She was tall and slightly on the stockier side, but definitely not as much as bodybuilders. She had a strong face and square shoulders. She worked out every single day without fail. She even had a personal trainer.

“Where’s Styles?” Lana asked Nicole as she parked her lovely booty behind the bar and got herself a good beer.

“Ugh, I need a Guinness,” Nicole grumbled, but proceeded to down the entire bottle within less than a minute. “Oh, he texted me. He has an early day tomorrow and I’ve been keeping him up. He’s not as nocturnal as us.”

“What a grandpa,” Lana laughed, pouring martinis from her shaker for an entire group. A waitress picked them up and took them to the table.

“I like him the way he is.” Nicole’s voice and shrug were casual, but Lana knew better than to interpret it like that. Nicole didn’t just say that she liked people. It was not a casual thing for her.

“I’ve known you for a couple of years now and I’ve never heard you say you like someone, not even me, and I am your best friend.”

Nicole scoffed. “I don’t like you. I only tolerate you.” She kept a straight face for only a few seconds before laughing hysterically. “I love you - you know that. Sidebar, though. When am I going to hear anything about your latest escapades?”

Lana made herself a nice glass of scotch and sat down on her bar stool, taking a sip. “I’ve been getting hot and heavy with half the town ever since I stepped foot in it.”

“You had a lot of failed relationships,” Nicole agreed. “When we met you were dating some guy called Daniel.”

Lana made a face. “Yeah and when he dumped me, I shaved the side of my head.”

“It sure did give you an edge,” Nicole boomed with laughter. “You really killed the punk rock look.”

She winked. “I offered you a place in my bed, Nic, you said no.”

Nicole blushed and batted her away with her hand. “You know I’m straight.”

“I see you with the girls backstage, you snuggle and cuddle and kiss them all the time,” Lana teased. “And you’re practically half naked all the time with them.”

“I don’t want to fuck up our friendship. You’re the only person who knows both parts of my so-called double life.”

“Your parents still think you own a bar?” Lana laughed, getting to her feet as a couple came up to the bar to order beers. She opened them up and slid them over, accepting the money with a grin.

“Yep and they’re fine with it, cause they think I sell Irish beer,” Nicole chortled. “It’s hilarious, I can barely keep a straight face when they ask about it.”

“No but seriously, you ought to get some Irish pints in here. I feel bad for you when you drink this beer. It’s absolutely substandard. I hate beer anyway, so.”

“Shh,” Nicole chided with a grin, “beer’s our bestseller.”

*****  
Harry fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He’d texted Nicole goodnight, but he hadn’t gotten a reply, but then again, he was so exhausted he figured he’d better sleep. He’d stayed up all night with her, twice in a row, and his body wasn’t used to it. He wasn’t crazy about staying up past 1 or 2 am. His body didn’t really cooperate after a point, but with Nicole he found time passing faster and he never realised how late it got. He’d had a lot of good sex in his life, but she was something else. Obviously, she had an amazing body because of the nature of her job. It wasn’t perfect but that made it even better. She even had abs, but she had wide, full and soft hips. Her body wasn’t an hourglass, but her curve was luscious. She didn’t have DD cups, but boy, did she have beautiful breasts. He didn’t care about size. She’d reeled him in with her baby blue eyes at the very first moment they made eye contact.

Harry woke up in the morning to his alarm. He had to be in work by 8, and he was also expecting to hear from Louis. He brushed his teeth, showered and had some toast and coffee for breakfast before pulling on a cream coloured suit with a short jacket and his square toe shoes, tousling his hair. He had a text from Nicole, sent only a couple of hours ago.

‘Whoops, didn’t see this. Hope you are sleeping well, handsome. Have a great day. I’ll be dreaming of you xx’

Harry replied, ‘Have a nice sleep while I go slog at work’ just to tease her, getting in his car and driving to work. He was just pulling in as the clock struck 8, so he hurriedly punched in and gave the receptionist a quick wink, rushing to his cabin. He was going to have a lot of emails to go through, then a meeting after lunch. He had a lot to do.

Louis came to visit him and brought bad news; the seller had forged some documents and wanted to get rid of the land. It was so illegal that Harry was ashamed he hadn’t caught it sooner. Louis only slapped his shoulder and went off on his way. He was the best junior partner at the best law firm in the city now, he had a lot to do. He was a busy man.

Harry ate lunch with some of his colleagues in the staff room. He didn’t like eating alone in his cabin and he always went down to chat with people. Some of them envied him but most of them really adored how well he talked to everyone, how he was always kind and charming. He just seemed to win people over without even trying.

After almost falling asleep more than once in a meeting that went on too long, Harry was ready to leave work. He pulled on his jacket and headed out, checking his phone to see if Nicole had replied, but there was nothing. He even called, but she didn’t answer. He’d wanted to see her, but he guessed she was busy or out, so he didn’t call again. She would call when she wanted to. He missed her, though.

**Author's Note:**

> Please do let me know how you like the story. Suggestions always welcome!


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